At the end of every calendar year, pundits accumulate “top 10” or “top five stories in various categories.

With the rise of social media, many ink-stained journalists – including this writer – are becoming pixel-stained as they invest in the era of online news, analysis and commentary.

This week, Facebook friends of both CapitolBeatOK and Oklahoma Watchdog were asked a question: “Scariest people or groups in 2012 -- Who would your nominee be for scariest person or group in 2012? There is no right or wrong answer -- just soliciting your thoughts. Keep responses short and to the point. ...”

For a time, the question drew more than 100 views an hour in what can certainly be characterized as unscientific sample. Over a couple of days, we gained more than 1,200 views and several dozen written responses. A representative sample of the often-singeing dialogue follows.

“Winners” response were President Barack Obama and his allies, whom Pamela Griffin deemed “the dear leader and his political comrades.” Sharon Kelley Perry pointed to both Obama and Valerie Jarrett, “since they are joined at the hip.” Sharon Angle said the answer was “Obama, then [Nancy] Pelosi, then [Harry] Reid, then [Bill or Hillary?] Clinton,” while Ellen Marshall believes “: “Obama ties with [George] Soros. ... Reid and Pelosi are runners up.”

Michael Charles Hurd II issued a broader list, featuring “The prez and 95% of the rest of the politicians in Washington.”

To be sure, the president had defenders among respondents, including Andy Behrens, who characterized Obama as “a center-left technocrat, in office during a highly charged political moment, painted to look extremist. The scary ones are those who are quietly consolidating power and wealth for themselves: the 1 percent and their hired representatives in public and private life.”

An interesting stream in this lively debate began with Ludie Ericksten-Childrey, who wrote: “I have to say it’s Obama. He has done nothing to improve the country but is working away at tearing it down.”

That drew a quick rebuttal from Denise Kaye, who observed: “Diana, Not sure where you live, but here in the USA, things are definitely not improving - and highest profits ever? That must be a report of profits in advance for the insurance companies. ... Keep listening to the left-wing nuts and their left-wing media cronies - we'll see how well that works out for you in a few years!! Obama is the scariest person and he finally gets my vote.”

Ludie re-entered the conservation, to say, “Can I change my answer to People who call others idiots for expressing their opinions? Last I checked I still have the Right to free speech. Diana you also have your Right not to criticize me for how I see America being trashed.”

Not done, Rios added, “Scarah Palin & the American Taliban Tea Party.” Ellen Marshall jumped in from the other side: “First of all, Diana's been into the kool-aid again and will soon have to eat her words.” Rios’ rebuttal pointed to “Tea-Tards” who “listen to the faux noise box and think they're smarter than Liberals, just like election night when they were being informed that Robme was the projected winner. LMAO. ...Smart people?? Don't think so!”

Among the first respondents to the Facebook question was Sherry Adams Heacock, who decried “stupid protesters from Kansas that call themselves Westboro Baptist Church.” That notion was soon seconded by Jamie Adams and Gay Lynn Moore Ross.

Some voted for both Westboro and Obama, including Kelley Nicole Hawley. Ellen Marshall declared “the Westboro ‘baptist’ nuts aren't baptist, they are a cult; and third, anyone who believes the liberal media claptrap must be living under a rock somewhere. ...”

Martie Wyatt said the scariest thing of all is “uninformed citizens. Those unwilling or too complacent in their righteousness to learn more about issues that impact all of us.” Scott Duncan essentially said “all of the above” sums up America’s problems: “Our own Gov't, .., the groups that are pulling the puppet strings (big banks and corporations), and the apathetic and ignorant people in our country that did nothing this election cycle to change anything for the better, and the nut cases from Kansas and any other hate group like them. There's a SPECIAL place in Hell for those people.”

Other individuals or groups getting votes included “George Soros... the master puppeteer behind Barack Obama. No one realizes how deep his evil goes. Our only hope is that he's 83 and can't live forever.” Matthew Green saw another culprit: “Bill Gates and the companies he buys stock in, Monsanto and Backwater (aka Xe).”

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